The Michigan-Michigan State matchup may not be the fiercest rivalry game the Wolverines play in each season (that has, and always will be, Ohio State), but it has certainly gained plenty of intensity in recent years.
Perhaps the biggest reason for that has been the Spartans' 2007 hiring of Mark Dantonio, who took offense to U-M running back Mike Hart's "little brother" comments after Michigan pulled out a 28-24 victory in Dantonio's rivalry debut.
The tides have turned since then, though, with the Spartans winning eight of the last 10 in the series.
In only two other decades of the matchup's history (since 1898, and every year since 1945) has Michigan struggled against MSU the way it has recently — in the 1950s and '60s, when it went a combined 4-14-2.
Outside of the '50s, '60s and 2010s, though, U-M has posted a winning record in nine decades of the game's history, while registering a .500 mark in the '30s, at 4-4-2.
For most Michigan fans, the glory years of the clash likely came in the '70s and '80s under Bo Schembechler, when U-M racked up a 17-3 mark (especially since most people probably don't remember the 1910s and '20s, when U-M posted a combined 18-2 record).
The Wolverines didn't just beat the Spartans in those years — they dominated them.
Of the Maize and Blue's 17 victories, only two came by fewer than 10 points — a 27-23 win in 1980 and a 10-7 triumph in 1989. Michigan's average margin of victory during that span was 17.2 points.
In all, Schembechler recorded a 17-4 tally against the Spartans, with meetings in 1969, 1978, 1984 and 1987 being his only losses.
His successor, Gary Moeller, didn't enjoy the same kind of success in the rivalry, posting just a 3-2 mark against MSU during his five years on the job.
Lloyd Carr brought Michigan back to its domination of the Spartans when he took over in 1995 — though he dropped his first matchup to them, the coach then proceeded to go 10-2 in the next 12 until his retirement following the 2007 campaign.
One aspect that was different in Carr's tenure from Schembechler's, though, was that the former's wins over MSU were usually much tighter, with four coming by seven points or less, including overtime victories in both 2004 and 2005.
Carr's departure signaled not only a turn in the tide of the rivalry, but in Michigan's program as a whole.
Rich Rodriguez did not defeat the Spartans once during his three years at the helm from 2008-10, and his successor, Brady Hoke, endured major struggles as well.
Hoke totaled a 1-3 mark against Michigan State, with his lone victory occurring on a 38-yard field goal by kicker Brendan Gibbons with just five seconds left in the 2012 contest, giving U-M a 12-10 win.
Hoke's three defeats to the Spartans, however, came by an average of 20.3 points.
Current head coach Jim Harbaugh was expected to immediately swing the clash back into Michigan's favor when he was hired prior to the 2015 season, but hasn't yet had the success many envisioned.
His debut Maize and Blue team lost, 27-23, on a dropped punt that MSU ran back for a touchdown in the infamous 2015 matchup, while last year's squad turned the ball over five times in a rain-soaked 14-10 setback.
Harbaugh's lone victory in the rivalry came in East Lansing in 2016, when U-M grabbed a 32-23 triumph over what was a 2-5 MSU team at the time (and one that finished 3-9).
The Wolverines will have a chance to snatch a second straight victory there on Saturday — and they must do so to avoid a second loss on the year and keep their College Football Playoff hopes alive.
By the Numbers: Michigan at Michigan State
5.7 Points have been the average margin of victory by the winner in the last three meetings between the two teams — MSU grabbed narrow four-point wins over the Wolverines in both 2015 and 2017, while U-M picked up a nine-point triumph in 2016.
7 Interceptions thrown by Michigan State redshirt junior quarterback Brian Lewerke this season, which are tied for the second most in the Big Ten (behind Rutgers freshman Artur Sitkowski's 15) and are deadlocked for the seventh most in the entire country.
43 Of the last 48 winners in the matchup have been the club that has rushed for more yards. With that in mind, Michigan is tallying 217 yards per game on the ground (28th nationally), while the Spartans are racking up 123 (115th).
48 Degrees for a projected high on Saturday, along with 15 to 25 mile-per-hour wind gusts. Fortunately, the chance of rain has been decreased to just 20 percent
69-36-5 All-time advantage for the Wolverines over Michigan State. The only two programs U-M has beaten more than the Spartans are Minnesota (75) and Illinois (70).
114.5 Rushing yards per game for senior running back Karan Higdon, which are the third most in the Big Ten and ninth most nationally. His six scores on the ground are also tied for the third most in the league.
118th Is where Michigan State's pass defense ranks in college football, yielding 286.3 yards per game through the air.
320 Rushing yards last week for the Wolverines against No. 15 Wisconsin, which marked Michigan's most against a ranked opponent since racking up 341 versus No. 19 Illinois on Sept. 23, 2000.
1997 Was the last time the Maize and Blue won by 10 or more points in East Lansing, when they grabbed a 23-7 victory there on their way to a national title.
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